


Delirium

by Coalmine301



Series: Whumptober 2020 [17]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: A Metric fuckton of Spiders, Force Ghost(s), Frostbite, Gen, Hallucinations, Heavy Angst, Mind Games, Obi-Wan Kenobi Gets a Hug, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Psychological Torture, You'll see..., but it dosen't last, don't do drugs kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:35:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27054268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coalmine301/pseuds/Coalmine301
Summary: Delerium/dəˈlirēəm/nounSerious disturbance in mental abilities that results in confused thinking and reduced awareness of surroundings.----------------------------------Aka: Angst and hallucinations for days
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Whumptober 2020 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1908538
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Delirium

Blue eyes widened as Obi-wan caught sight of the wicked syringe in his captor’s hand. Instinctively he jerked against the restraints, desperate to get away. A syringe with mysterious components never met anything good in this situation.  
Strong fingers grabbed his throat and the needle was embedded into his jugular. Already his head was starting to feel fuzzy. But Obi-wan knew it wouldn’t just be disorientation. It never was just disorientation. 

He couldn’t quite hold back the small whimper of fear.

His captor merely chuckled, patting his cheek in a perversion of affection. “Just let the drugs work, sweetie. You’ll be having fun in no time.”

And with that he swept out of the room. Leaving Obi-wan to deal with the aftermath alone.

* * *

Obi-wan wasn’t sure how long he was left alone in that dark room. The ropes binding his limbs together had been cut, though they felt as heavy as blocks of led. His arms had been free as well but felt just as heavy. 

The room had steadily been getting colder and colder. It had started gradually at first, so gradually he had almost completely missed it, but now the freezing temperatures were undeniable. Each exhale was a breath of steam.

All he could do was shiver against the cold stone. 

Caught up in his own misery, it was a while before Obi-wan realized he couldn’t feel his fingers. That never bode well in cold temperatures.

Hesitantly, he pulled off his left glove. Blackened fingers greeted him, appearing almost charred. Frostbite.

In an instant Obi-wan knew those digits could not be salvaged. They would have to come off. Otherwise it would only spread to creep up his arm.

The redhead glanced around the cell, looking for something -anything- to help break them off. No such luck. 

He turned back to his hand only to freeze in horror. In the blink of an eye the blackness had spread to his palm and was working its way up his wrist. 

Cautiously, he poked at the darkened flesh.

Instantly the appendage fell off, extracting a yelp of surprise from the Jedi. 

For a moment nothing happened. Silence filled the cell as Obi-wan panted, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

And then it moved, fingertips lifting the flesh up like spindly legs. Obi-wan could only watch as a mouth tore its way into being on the palm. Endless rows and rows of teeth with a long, black tongue dragging on the floor. 

Obi-wan furiously blinked his eyes, hoping they were decieving him. no such luck.

Slowly the hand crept closer, walking along like something out of a cheap horror movie. Only difference was this thing was very, very real. 

And then it leapt at his face, mouth open with an alien screech.

* * *

Obi-wan jerked to with a cry, forearms held up in front of his face. For a moment he simply panted, eyes darting around the cell as his heart pounded in his ears.

The cell was warmer now. Still cool, but back to the temperature it used to be. Before he was injected with whatever the hells was in that syringe. 

The redhead stared down at his left arm only to find it whole and intact. What’s more his glove was still on, never having been taken off.

So that was all a hallucination, then.

In hindsight he probably should have realized as much. It wasn’t like 

No sooner did he think that did the redhead notice a speck of movement in the darkness. He frowned, azure orbs straining to figure out what it was. 

A spider. Well, some companionship was better than none. Plus it didn’t seem like an arachnid this small was likely to bite him.

“Hello, little guy,” he greeted.

The spider lifted a leg to wave back. Despite himself Obi-wan found himself smiling at the odd sight.

Oh, there’s another one over there. And another. And another. Five now. Ten. Twenty-five. 

It wasn’t long before obi-wan’s mild delight turned to horror. The cell was now filled with spiders. And they all turned towards him at once.

The arachnids were on him in an instant.

They were everywhere, crawling over every inch of his skin. Even his eyes, his nose- tiny mandibles gnawing at the soft flesh. 

Frantically, Obi-wan clawed at their thin bodies. He needed to get them off! But his hands were covered in them. No matter how hard he tried they remained tight 

He made the mistake of screaming and the arachnids took full advantage. They slid down her throat, enveloping it just as they had his skin. 

His mouth refused to open. Obi-wan struggled, clawing at his spider encrusted lips but it had no effect.

He had to get them out. He had to get them out! HE HAD TO GET THEM OUT!

Blunt nails dugs at his throat, desperate to dig out the arachnids wreaking havoc on his esophagus. Liquid spilled across his fingers as he clawed. Whether it was his blood or spiders’ didn’t matter. 

He had to keep digging. Had to get them out.

Had to get them out!

* * *

Once more Obi-wan awoke screaming. He sat up, shoving his back into the corner between walls of his cell. 

No spiders. Thank the Force.

His skin felt almost sore and when he looked down he could see angry pink gashes. So that part had been real, then. Cautiously, he touched his throat to find a heavy bacta patch plastered against it. Apparently his self inflicted wounds had been serious enough to extract some mercy from his tormentors.

They clearly wanted to keep him alive. Good to know.

Some of those wounds bore evidence of bacta healing. Days of it, in fact. Just how long had he been out of it?

“Padawan.”

Obi-wan jumped, gaze flickering around the cell. Nothing. He could have sworn he heard-

“Obi-wan.”

The redhead turned to come face to face with a glowing apparition. Oh sweet Force, it was him.

There stood Qui-gon Jinn, whole and well again. Long, brown hair just starting to turn grey polled around his shoulders like a lion’s mane. Mighty hands -hands that had corrected Obi-wan’s training stances and held him as he shook from nightmares- hung casually at his sides.

But what Obi-wan saw most of all was that face. That oh so familiar face with the crooked nose and the 

“Master? Is… is it really you?”

“Why didn’t you save me?”

Obi-wan froze, reeling from the sudden accusation. “W-what?”

“I was counting on you to back me up,” once kind features twisted into a sneer. “Where in the hells were you, Obi-wan?”

The redhead instinctively took a step backwards. “I- I tried to reach you, Master. You were too far ahead, I got caught behind the ray shields.” 

Obi-wan had lost count of just how many sleepless nights he lay tormented by that memory. Close enough to see and what everything going on but powerless to do anything but watch. Watch as his father was slaughtered right before his eyes. 

“Of course you were,” Qui-gon replied. “Always too slow.”

The taller man started walking around Obi-wan in a circle, navy eyes never leaving his form. Never before had the redhead felt more exposed. His mentor’s gaze pinned him in place like a pin through a butterfly’s thorax.

“First Tahl, and now me. We both counted on you to help us and both times you failed,” the older man growled. 

“I-I tried my best,” Obi-wan protested weakly.

“And it wasn’t damn near good enough,” the apparition shouted, face warped with fury. “All you’re ever good for is failure. Why does everyone keep you around? Why would anyone even want you around when all you’ll ever do is fail?”

Obi-wan was only aware he had been backing up when his back suddenly came in contact with a wall. Qui-gon’s towering form loomed over him, dark eyes blazing with rage. 

“You have brought nothing but shame to this Lineage.”

* * *

Obi-wan woke not with a scream, but with a noise close to a sob. 

The hallucination’s words rang in his ears. He wasn’t a failure… was he? He always tried his best to keep the men safe, even on the battlefield, as much as he could. But the nature of the war meant that he couldn’t guarantee everything. 

Every day men died, the survivors losing their brothers. How could they possibly look him in the eye knowing he had failed his duty to protect them?

Shuddering, the redhead settled in the corner and tried to focus on his breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. It wouldn’t be good to panic over nothing. Especially now that he couldn’t tell what was reality and what was not.

So Obi-wan closed his eyes, pressing his back into the corner walls to try and ground himself.

Breathe in, breathe out.

Faintly he could hear distant banging sounds. Almost like… blaster shots?

Suddenly the cell door slammed open with a sharp clang, causing the redhead to jump. In the doorway stood a familiar figure, light bathing a gold and white suit of armor. “General!”

“Cody!” Obi-wan hauled himself painfully to his feet, heart soaring in joy. 

His legs, unused to walking, tangled but strong arms caught him as he fell. In an instant they were around him, tucking his face against a familiar plastoid chest. He didn’t know he was crying until his vision suddenly blurred.

Comforting hands rubbed his back. “It’s ok, general. It’s all ok now,” Cody murmured into ginger strands of hair. “I’ve got you.”

The redhead held onto the clone’s wrist in a deathgrip. He didn’t want to let go, to have his rescue dissolve into just another hallucination. Cody didn’t seem to mind and made no move to stop him.

The clone Commander knelt to scoop up his legs and Obi-wan didn’t resist, instead letting himself be carried. Normally he would have struggled, finding the position embarrassing. But right now he found he didn’t mind. 

“How long was I gone?” He almost didn’t want to know the answer.

There was a brief pause. “Almost four months,” Cody replied honestly. “General Skywalker and Commander Tano were both worried sick. They’ll be happy to see you again.”

Obi-wan found himself nodding against the armored shoulder. Even though he’d been conscious for a fraction of the time he had to admit he missed the others. It was also good to finally get out of that accursed cell and back to the Negotiator.

So he simply held onto Cody, fully trusting the Commander to carry him to safety.

There were other clones on all sides, all sporting the familiar gold and white of his battalion. 

They muttered encouraging words, strengthening hands on his shoulders. They promised him it was over. Promised he was finally, finally safe now. And Obi-wan believed them.

Until he found himself strapped down on his back on top of a table. No matter how hard he struggled the thick straps didn’t offer an inch of give. He couldn't resist as tanned hands ripped the front of his tunic open.

Matrix leaned over him, a scalpel in hand and a manic look in those amber eyes. “Now don’t move, general.”

* * *

Obi-wan came to with a cry, adrenaline pounding in his veins. He was still huddled in that accursed stone cell, pressed defensively into a corner.

That last hallucination had been the most vivid as well as the longest lasting.

Not to mention the most painful.

With a shaky breath Obi-wan hung his head. He didn’t know how many more of these he could take.


End file.
